Valheim, from Iron Gate AB, continues to pass new sales milestones for its wonderfully realized Viking setting, with landscapes and enemies based on Norse mythology. The game's five boss fights, while varying greatly in difficulty, work well to make the game feel as epic as its Nordic source material.
The game's maps are mostly archipelagos, and for some players locating the bosses can often be as difficult as defeating them. Many of the bosses have abilities that are not apparent upon the first encounter and some even have interesting connections to Norse mythology. With the game still being in early access, some of the bosses have already had updates and there is always the chance that more could be added in the future.
10 Eikbrnir: The Stag Who Sits Atop Valhalla
The game's first boss, Eikthyr, is not the greatest challenge to summon and defeat, but he is the boss who is most directly related to historical Viking legends.
Eikbynir is a stag from Norse Mythology who, according to an old Norse textbook, called the Prose Edda, sat atop the rooftops of Valhalla. His antlers were believed to be the source of all rivers and streams. Due to the similarities in their name, some fans speculate that Eikthyr is either a reference to Eikbrnir or that they may be the same stag.
9 Some Enemies Can Heal Bosses
The bosses in Valheim are often difficult enough without allies. However, if players neglect to clear the surrounding area before starting a boss battle, regular enemies may join in, making the fight considerably harder.
Bonemass has in-built health regeneration, and the Elder can be healed by nearby Greydwarf Shamans. If the player forgets to clear out any nearby Greydwarf nests, these shamans can make the boss fight all but impossible as any damage the player inflicts is healed back. With this in mind players should always ensure the boss arena is free from other enemies before summoning the Elder.
8 A Rebellion Against Odin
If Eikthyr actually is the mythical stag Eikbynir, the question remains as to why he was cast out of Valhalla and exiled to Valheim. Although the game's lore is still in its early days, there is a clue as to the reason for Eikthyr's banishment contained in the dialogue attached to his trophy.
When killed and hung up as a trophy, Eikthyr will bemoan the player's success and implore them to, "tell Odin he may have broken this form, but the wilderness will never submit to his rules." This speech implies that Eikthyr may have led the wild creatures in a rebellion against Odin, resulting in his imprisonment in Valheim.
7 The Elder Can Destroy Nearby Portals
With a map as large and expansive as Valheim's, a simple method of fast traveling between important locations is essential. Portals can be built from Greydwarf eyes, Finewood and Surtling cores, and are the most expedient way to travelling between specific areas of the map.
Many players use portals as a quick way of traveling to the boss arenas. They can also act as a potential escape route from difficult fights. If using this strategy to defeat the Elder the portals should be kept far away from the arena as the boss will destroy them if they are closer than the player.
6 Moder's Name Comes From A Famous British Book
The mountain-dwelling dragon Modor takes her name from the Scandinavian word for mother. In old Norse, her name is very similar to the word Möõr which translates to anger or grief.
The fourth boss of Valheimmay not be the toughest to defeat, but she shares her name with a character from a book called The Ritual by Adam Nevills. In this book, Modor is the name given to Loki's deformed daughter whose appearance is based upon Jötunn from Norse Mythology. Whether this is just a throw-away reference to Nevills book or a subtle hint to the bosses origins remains to be seen.
5 Bonemass Can Be Killed With A Wooden Club
Bonemass is considered by some to be the hardest boss in Valheim so far. As such it may come as a surprise that there is an online challenge to defeat him with the worst weapon in the game.
This boss is highly resistant to piercing damage from swords or spears, but he is weak to blunt. As such a basic wooden club will do more damage than a higher-level sword. If the player can dodge his attacks and land a three-hit combo with the wooden club they will be able to deal a small yet substantial amount of damage. Players who wish to attempt this challenge are advised to bring multiple wooden clubs as they are not the most durable weapons.
4 The Elder Can Chase Players Back To Their Base
The Elder is possibly the only boss in Valheim who can be summoned multiple times, although to do so is not recommended as this boss is hard enough on his own.
Another peculiar quirk of the Elder is that he does not despawn when the player flees his arena. Unsuspecting players trying to defeat the Elder have run away back to their bases, often using portals, only to find out moments later that the Elder has followed them. The boss is capable of chasing players over a remarkable distance and can do substantial damage to bases and fortifications when he does.
3 Modor Is Very Easy To Block
The hardest part of fighting Modor is her mountainous environment that threatens to freeze the player to death before they can land a killing blow. Portal can be a great way to ascend mountains quickly if the player hasn't learned how to fly. Once at the top, Wolf armour is a great way to negate the cold and it can go a long way towards blocking the bosses' attacks.
A silver shield and a set of wolf armor will significantly reduce Modor's attack damage. Many of her attacks will only be able to inflict grey damage upon the player, provided they block at the right time. Shooting her with poison arrows and using the shield to block when she swoops in to attack is a great way to deal with Modor quickly and efficiently.
2 Difficulty Tweaks For Yagluth
Yagluth was initially considered one of the easiest bosses in Valheim on account of his weakness to frost and clearly telegraphed attacks. However, with the game still being in early access, tweaks and changes are always occurring and a recent update has apparently made the games final boss a much more formidable foe.
As of the 25th of February, Yagluth is no longer weak to frost damage. His primary weakness seems to have shifted to silver, and his attacks are much harder to avoid as they have the same wind-ups but considerably less cool down. Players who have faced Yagluth after his update report that it is much harder to get within melee range of the boss, but that if the player can do so a silver sword will do reasonable damage. One crafty player attempted to take down Yagluth with a pack of wolves, and given the result, animal companions may also be a viable strategy against this boss.
1 A Bough From The Life Tree Yggdrasil
At the beginning of the game, the prologue informs the player that Valheim is an exile, cast off from the life tree by Odin himself. Yet despite being severed from Yggdrasil, the 10th realm did not perish as the all-father expected.
When players defeat the Elder and hang up his trophy they will hear receive a piece of text that ends with " now I wither and die, let the great tree have me." This line could possibly just refer to the fact that Elder is a tree-like being, but some fans speculate that Valheim survived being cast off because it retained a severed bough of the life tree Yggdrasil in the form of the Elder.